Tony Perkins: Trump’s targeted killing of Iranian general was biblically justified

The religiously right-wing hate group Family Research Council (FRC) is claiming that President Donald Trump’s targeted killing of a top Iranian general was justified by the Bible.

In an interview Thursday with David Closson, the FRC’s director of Christian Ethics and Biblical Worldview on the program “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins,” Closson explained to Perkins why “America’s response to Iran was justified from a Biblical perspective.”

Perkins explained that journalists who contacted him expressed shock that evangelical Christians supported the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, writes Right Wing Watch’s Jared Holt. He added that scripture “represents every aspect of life.” This even includes when nations should engage in war and Closson was on hand to explain why Trump’s actions are biblically supported.

Scripture, according to Closson “lets us see that all war itself is not intrinsically evil.” The Old Testament, he noted, sanctions war. Under the auspices of The New Testament, governments are supposed to answer to God as part of the responsibilities they bear toward their citizens.

“Sometimes there are compelling reasons for going to war,” Closson told Perkins. “And all killing is tragic, but sometimes it’s necessary.”

Then Perkins and Closson discussed the criteria (known as jus ad bellum) that are used to determine if going to war is ethical. Both concurred that the criteria were included in scripture.

“A lot of Christians think that the default position of Christianity is passivism, but there’s actually quite a few examples in the Bible that actually — where Jesus thinks about these issues and scripture teaches a couple examples,” Closson noted.

And Perkins and Closson aren’t the only FRC members supporting this. Jerry Boykin, the organization’s executive director said earlier this week that Trump would have been “irresponsible” if he hadn’t ordered the drone strike that killed Soleimani.

Listen to the exchange between Perkins and Closson below:

Megan Hamilton

Megan Hamilton has traveled extensively throughout the Southern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central America. A lifelong atheist, these travels have informed her political views. She currently lives in a remote location with a large herd of cats and four dogs.